Understudy Star
by Knockout Starscream
Summary: The Transformers put on their first Christmas play on Cybertron and everything that can go wrong does. Just a funny little Christmas one shot I whipped up as a gift for my readers.


It was going to be the first Christmas on Cybertron and Bumblebee and his team were excited to be celebrating the Earth holiday on their home planet for the first time.

Everyone was getting ready. The Autobots and Decepticons had called a truce so everyone could have Christmas in peace. And not have to worry about fights breaking out. And they were going to put on the first ever Christmas play on Cybertron.

It was going to be a play of a Christmas Carol and everyone had just finished trying out and Ultra Magnus was reading the casting results.

"OK the role of Ebenezer Scrooge will be played by Megatron, the role of Bob Cratchit will be Bumblebee, the role of Tiny Tim will be played by Fixit, Jacob Marley will be played by Steeljaw, Isabelle will be played by Windblade, Mises Cratchit will be played by Arcee, the Ghost of Christmas Past will be played by Optimus Prime, the ghost of Christmas Present will be played by Knock Out, the ghost of Christmas Future will be Soundwave." And Ultra Magnus continued on with the list.

* * *

Later everyone was heading home after rehearsal and Knock Out was talking with Starscream who he had ran into on his way home.

"I'm surprised you didn't audition." Knock Out said to the seeker.

"I'm helping out backstage I think the whole play thing is silly and I don't think any of the characters fit me." Starscream told him.

"Well acting isn't for everyone." Knock Out replied. Then they got close to where Knock Out's home was and wave goodbye as they went their separate ways for the night.

* * *

The next day everyone was backstage getting ready for the show.

"Where's Optimus?" Asked Starscream noticing the prime was absent.

"He had to go to Earth to help the Recuse bots with something." Bumblebee explained. "You'll have to fill in for him."

"Me!" Starscream whimpered.

"Yes you." Bumblebee told the seeker.

"I can't go on." Starscream said nervously.

"Your always trying to be leader since when do you get stage fright?" Asked Bumblebee.

"I don't get nervous leading troops but acting I don't do." Starscream told him.

"You have to try or we might have to cancel the show." Bumblebee explained.

"OK I'll try it." Starscream gave in.

Then Knock Out arrived backstage.

"Where were you?" Asked Arcee.

"I had a busy morning at the hospital you won't believe how many sick bots showed up the Voss Virus is really bad this year it's basically a Cybertronian version of Earth's flue." Knock Out explained. "It's called the Voss Virus because that's where it originated."

"Half the cast isn't here we've been having to have bots fill in left and right." Arcee told him.

"Yeah I brought a sick list with me." Knock Out told her then pulled out a piece of paper that was about a mile long.

"Wow are all of them under the weather from the Voss Virus?" Asked Arcee.

"Half of them the other half had some bad energon and got fuel poisoning they all had lunch at the same place." Knock Out told her. "In fact the reason Ratchet, First Aid and Red Alert aren't here is because they had to stay and treat all of them we're lucky I could make it."

"Well at least all the main cast made it except Optimus who had to help the Rescue bots on Earth." Arcee explained. "But we got Starscream to fill in."

"Good well let's keep our fingers crossed that nothing else goes wrong." Said Knock Out. Then suddenly Steeljaw fell over and Knock Out face palmed thinking he'd jinxed it. Then everyone ran over to see if Steeljaw was ok.

"What happened?" Asked Bumblebee.

"I got dizzy and fell." Steeljaw told them. Then Knock Out looked him over.

"Voss Virus." Knock Out told them. "He's got it alright."

"Help Steeljaw to the sick bay." Bumblebee told Knock Out. "Starscream looks like your playing two roles."

"Why am I not surprised." Said Starscream not very happy about it.

A few minutes later the play had began and everyone was doing a great job then Megatron was surprised to see Starscream instead of Steeljaw.

"Starscream?" Megatron asked in a whisper so the audience didn't hear.

"He's filling in for Steeljaw who has the Voss Virus." Knock Out explained over the com-link.

"OK let's get this over with." Megatron told him still keeping his voice low so the audience wouldn't hear anything other then his lines. Fortunately the scene went off without a hitch.

But then in the next act Megatron was surprised to see Starscream again as the ghost of Christmas Past when he was expecting Optimus Prime.

"Did Optimus get sick too?" Megatron asked Starscream keeping his voice low so the audience wouldn't know something was off.

"He had to help the Rescue bots with something on Earth." Starscream explained. Luckily that scene also went well.

Then Starscream went backstage glad his work in the play was done but then he heard moaning and hacking coming from one of the dressing rooms. Then went to investigate and found Sideswipe standing above Knock Out who was holding a servo over his face with his optics closed.

"What did you do to Knock Out?" Asked Bumblebee who had just walked in.

"Nothing I came in and found him like this." Sideswipe told them.

"Don't tell me." Starscream started.

"The Voss Virus." They all finished at once.

"Sorry guys I was treating patients who had it all morning and guess I came down with it too." Knock Out said to them as Bumblebee and Sideswipe helped him stand because he was dizzy. "I think I might be the one who gave it to Steeljaw because I may have shook his hand earlier."

Then Knock Out got a look on his faceplates and bolted to the nearest trashcan and held his head over it and purged his tanks.

"Yeah we better get you to a med bay." Sideswipe told Knock Out who he help down the hall.

"Well Starscream looks like you have to play the ghost of Christmas Present now too." Bumblebee informed the seeker.

"Alright." Starscream said knowing he had no choice. "You carrier." He hiss looking in the direction Knock Out just went.

Then he went on stage to perform the next scene and Megatron saw Starscream was back on stage and started to say something but Starscream frowned and said. "Don't ask."

However that scene was a bit of a mess because Fixit kept messing up his lines. And they heard a sound coming from the basement below the stage.

After the scene was over Starscream found Soundwave on the floor just like Knock Out was with a skull and crossbones displayed on his vizier.

"Let me guess." Starscream asked looking down at him.

"Voss Virus." Soundwave answered him.

"Not him too." Said Bumblebee who had just entered the room. Then looked at Starscream who knew what that look meant.

"Really again." Starscream groaned in disgust. "OK." He agreed reluctantly.

Then Megatron walked over. "Really again." He said seeing what was going on.

"My words exactly." Starscream told him.

* * *

It was now intermission so everyone went down to the basement to see what the sound from earlier was and found out there were some faulty pipes so they all worked together to fix them. But then when they started to go back up they found the door was stuck and couldn't get out.

"Oh scrap the whole cast is down here and intermission ends in five minutes." Bumblebee said in dismay. Then he called Starscream and told him what was going on.

"The whole cast is where?" Starscream almost yelled after answering his com-link.

"Stuck in the basement we're trying to find a way out but we won't be back up in time to finish the play." Bumblebee told him.

"After everything I've been through to keep this thing going you are not canceling it now." Starscream said to him. "You guys find a way out and I'll see what I can do in the meantime."

The first thing Starscream did was go back to the med bay to plead with the three sick transformers to help him but they were all to sick to go on. So he got another idea but it wasn't a good one. He would try to play every part. "The show must go on." He told himself.

Starscream ran into Shockwave on his was to the stage.

"I'm sorry I got here just in time for the end a Christmas Carol is my favorite Earth play." Shockwave explained.

Then Starscream told him what the situation was and Shockwave agreed to help.

But once they got on stage Shockwave froze having gotten stage fright. And just stood there while Starscream ran around him playing every role. The seeker kept running and jumping around even tripping a few times. And kept speaking in different tones for each character.

"I can't believe Shockwave has stage fright he doesn't even have emotions this doesn't make any since." Starscream thought as he continued to run around the stage.

Meanwhile in the basement Megatron got tired of being trapped and decided to blast his way out through the celling. And all the audience knew was the play had suddenly become a one bot show until a hole had suddenly been shot through the stage floor and Shockwave fell through it while Starscream was now frozen in shock.

But luckily Megatron broke Shockwave's fall. But it knocked them both out cold. And then since the stage was damage the play had to end there so everyone who was still conscious and not sick bowed and that was that.

Then everyone was about to head home when Megatron walked over and said he didn't feel well then passed out.

"The Voss Virus!" Everyone said at once knowing right away what was wrong.

Then Bumblebee went to see where Starscream went and found him in recharge and sound asleep having wore himself out after playing every part. So not wanting to disturb the seeker Bumblebee just put a blanket over him and left.

* * *

The next day everyone had recovery from the Voss Virus and fuel poisoning and were feeling better and luckily the audience had just thought the last part of the play was a comedy act so enjoyed it anyway. And Optimus got back from helping the Rescue bots and the mission had gone well. Then everyone celibated Christmas and had a great time.

 **The End.**

 **"Hope you all enjoyed this funny little Christmas one shot I wrote next I'll do the next chapter of my story Fallon Warrior but since Christmas is less then a week away I decided to do this as a holiday treat for my readers." "Please let me know if I missed any spelling mistakes." "And Marry Christmas Everyone."**


End file.
